Bermuda & UK Govts Seek Sargasso Protection
Government House announced that the United Kingdom and Bermuda have launched a joint initiative under the High Seas Treaty to seek international protection for the Sargasso Sea through the proposed Hamilton II Declaration.
A spokesperson said “The United Kingdom was one of the first signatories to a watershed international treaty to protect the high seas. During the decade long negotiations, the UK played a leading role to help find common ground to reach agreement. The final Biological Diversity Beyond National Jurisdiction [BBNJ Agreement], now commonly referred to as the ‘High Seas Treaty’, is viewed as critical in protecting the high seas, which lie outside national waters.
“The High Sea Treaty came into force in January this year. The passing of the UK’s BBNJ Act last week, brings the United Kingdom a step closer to its plans for ratification. Once some secondary legislation is passed this year the UK will join other states as a party to the treaty. The first meeting of states that have ratified the Agreement, called the ‘Conference of the Parties’, will take place before 16 January 2027. The UK has said it intends to play a leading role at this and subsequent meetings.
“In an important new development, the Governments of the United Kingdom and Bermuda have today announced a joint initiative to seek the protection of the Sargasso Sea under the High Sea Treaty.
“The initiative is to gain international support for the ‘Hamilton II Declaration’. The Declaration, currently a draft text, acknowledges the global importance of conserving the Sargasso Sea. The draft text of the Hamilton II Declaration was circulated to all United Nations member States, as well as all signatories to the original Hamilton Declaration.
“The Declaration contains important political commitments, to be undertaken by signatory States and territories, to support the adoption of mechanisms within the High Seas Treaty to protect the Sargasso Sea. Those mechanisms are called Area Based Management Tools [ABMTs] and they can be adjusted to specific sectors or geographically defined areas to achieve both conservation and sustainable use objectives. The Hamilton II Declaration does not intend to prescribe what exact management tools should be adopted in the Sargasso Sea – that will be subject to separate work under the treaty. Rather, the Declaration seeks to achieve the first key step of signalling political support by States and territories to develop a collective proposal under the BBNJ Agreement to protect those parts of the Sargasso Sea that are outside the jurisdiction of any state [high seas].
“As the only land territory located within the Sargasso Sea, this international initiative places Bermuda at the leading edge of efforts to gain international support to protect the seas that surround Bermuda.”
Minister of Public Works and Environment Jache Adams said, “Bermuda has played a central role in advancing international efforts to protect the Sargasso Sea, having led the development of the 2014 Hamilton Declaration and serving as host to the Sargasso Sea Commission. Over the past decade, Bermuda has championed science-based stewardship and helped to strengthen cooperation among governments, researchers, and ocean stakeholders to safeguard this globally important high-seas ecosystem. As work accelerates under the new BBNJ Agreement, Bermuda remains committed to supporting measures that enhance the conservation of the Sargasso Sea’s unique biodiversity and promote its long-term ecological resilience”
The spokesperson said, “The draft text, which is not legally binding, was prepared at a Government House facilitated meeting in Bermuda last year. The informal meeting was attended by expert representatives from the Governments of the United Kingdom and Bermuda, with the assistance of representatives from some signatories to the original Hamilton Declaration, and members of the secretariat to the Sargasso Sea Commission.”
Governor Andrew Murdoch who made Government House facilities available to assist in the initiative, said: “In my former role I was the Director of Ocean policy for the Foreign Office for 8 years. During that time, I was heavily involved in the work to finalise the text of the High Seas Treaty. I was at the final negotiation session in the United Nations in New York. During that final two-week negotiation session states came together, including working through the night, to get the treaty text agreed. It was a watershed moment when that happened. It signalled the ability of the world to take coordinated global action to tackle the climate and nature crisis. It also demonstrates the ongoing role of multilateral institutions in facing global challenges.
“The treaty is critical to help protect the high seas – the ocean that lies beyond the limits of any coastal states waters – and its coming into force this year provides an opportunity to take steps that were not previously possible. For marine life, this means stronger protections in areas that have previously been vulnerable to exploitation. There are also benefits for people, as a healthy marine ecosystem underpins important global fisheries and climate regulation critical for communities around the world. I am delighted to be able to use Government House facilities to assist the Governments of Bermuda and United Kingdom in their joint initiative to protect the Sargasso Sea. I am convinced it will make a difference and commend them for their work.”
The spokesperson said, “Recognising the vital role of civil society, and their interest in protecting and conserving the Sargasso Sea, the draft instrument provides an opportunity for non- government partners to sign to signal support. As a draft text it will undergo a series of consultations to ensure it can best meet its objective, taking into account the views of various stakeholders. To this end the Governments of Bermuda and the United Kingdom intend to hold an engagement and consultation session with interested civil society representatives in Bermuda on 20 March. The importance of listening to stakeholders in Bermuda is recognised, and the meeting in March will be the first formal consultation on the draft text. It will be followed by other consultations, including in New York later March. The intention is to finalise the Declaration text and open it up for signature, before the first Conference of Parties.
Background
“There is widespread recognition of the importance of the Sargasso Sea in global Ocean health. The Governments of Bermuda and the United Kingdom having long- worked together to support science-led conservation of the Sargasso Sea, including as signatories to the Hamilton Declaration [2014] which established the Sargasso Sea Commission.
“Two-thirds of the ocean lies beyond any nation’s jurisdiction and contain extraordinary biodiversity and ecosystems that are vital to the health of our planet. Without the protection of national laws, these vulnerable waters have been left open to exploitation and degradation.
“The BBNJ Agreement – sometimes called the High Seas Treaty – is a landmark international agreement that will, for the first time, create a legal mechanism to establish protected zones in these waters. Through the application of Area Based Management Tools [ABMTs], part of the BBNJ Treaty’s framework for conserving and using marine biological areas beyond national jurisdictions, specific sectors or geographically defined areas can be managed to achieve conservation and sustainable use objectives. The Sargasso Sea fulfils many of the indicative criteria for potential ABMTs as set out in the BBNJ Agreement.
“The BBNJ Agreement adopted after more than a decade of international negotiations will:
- enable the creation of Area Based management Tools, including marine protected areas, on the high seas
- require environmental impact assessments for activities that could have significant impact on marine ecosystems in areas beyond national jurisdiction
- ensure fair sharing of benefits from research into and utilisation of marine genetic resources, which have potential applications in medicines, cosmetics and biotechnology
- strengthen capacity-building for developing states, by promoting knowledge sharing, along with broader technology transfer
“The UK Government introduced legislation on 10 September 2025 to enable the UK to implement its obligations under the BBNJ Agreement and move towards ratification. The Act received Royal Assent on 12 February. Further secondary legislation will be required before the BBNJ Agreement can be ratified by the UK.”
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Category: All, Environment
